<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Theodore by Annabelsmith</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23390746">Theodore</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annabelsmith/pseuds/Annabelsmith'>Annabelsmith</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Life in Camelot [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, M/M, Slice of Life, relationship if you squint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:54:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23390746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annabelsmith/pseuds/Annabelsmith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Camelot was very well known for its Knights. They were some of the best fighters out there and many a nobleman's son had ridden to Camelot in the hopes of becoming one of its legendary knights.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Life in Camelot [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1432240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Theodore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to my beta EtenalFangirl for the help. Just could not end this thing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Camelot was very well known for its Knights. They were some of the best fighters out there and many a nobleman's son had ridden to Camelot in the hopes of becoming one of its legendary knights.</p><p>This practice did not change at all even after Arthur became king in all but name. </p><p>True, he no longer had the time to lead all trainings by himself, but he always tried to make time for it in his day... Much to the amusement of his manservant, and the long-suffering looks of the other nobles. </p><p>And so our story starts, with one such hopeful man arriving in Camelot. Though he was not there for himself, rather for his son, who he wished to send to the King--Prince--to learn some humility. </p><p>You see, this noble was very worried about his son, who was very arrogant and did not care for anyone. The father also suspected that he was hurting the servants at home, even though they were too scared to say anything. They probably believed he would listen to his child before them, and perhaps they were right. </p><p>He had heard of Arthur's Decree and hoped that under the aegis of the Prince, his son Theodore would learn to at least be a bit less cruel (he was not expecting miracles). </p><p>So this noble went and talked to Arthur about getting his son added to the training. He relayed his worries to the Prince and then said " Prince Arthur, would you mind if I were to send my son here to be a knight?"</p><p>"A knight?" Arthur said, thinking of all that he had just heard about the man and wanting to shudder. He did not want such a man anywhere near the servants, especially--</p><p>"Well officially, if he is good enough you can even keep him here. But mostly I want him to come live here and see how his Prince conducts himself. It will be a valuable lesson."</p><p>"You want to send him to me for…. Attitude correction?"</p><p>"Yes, I am out of my wits with him and am sincerely dreading him taking over the operations of my land."</p><p>"Well... send him on, and I will see what we can do. But I am not going to be responsible if he comes crying to you about being ill-treated in Camelot."</p><p>A small smile. "I understand completely"</p><p>This was how Theodore found himself on his way to Camelot. </p><p>His first act in the city? He got into a tiff with Merlin. (Poor Sod. Theodore, not Merlin)</p><p>Anyone who has been in Camelot for five minutes (or less, in some cases) will tell you, touching Merlin is a big no-no. Arthur is very, very possessive of his manservant (although he will not admit that even under pain of Death) and does not take kindly to anyone touching Merlin at all. He is a complete caveman and will be huffy even if you are Merlin's friend (As Sir Gwaine found to his displeasure). </p><p>So, Mr. Theodore comes riding up to the castle, all smug and arrogant (his father was an important man) and as no one in the castle was aware he was coming that day, at that time, to his disappointment there was no welcoming committee for him. He was expecting pomp and circumstance, all he got was an empty courtyard with everyone else going about their work. </p><p>The first person he saw, who looked like some sort of servant, got an earful.</p><p>"HEY YOU!!"</p><p>Merlin, who was the one being shouted at, did not realize this fact. For one, the only one who shouted at him was Arthur, others… had unfortunate things happen to them. It was not even the fault of his magic, he had a very temperamental blond prat attached to him.  Secondly, most nobles who came into the citadel were not idiots, so they kept their head down for a few days to learn the lay of the land and identify people to not mess with. Thirdly, Theodore was a bit far off, and Merlin was too preoccupied with the blond prat to even realize someone was shouting, let alone the fact that he was the subject. It wasn't as though it was a call for help, after all.</p><p>Theodore was even more miffed that this servant was ignoring him. He scrambled off his horse (not very gracefully, mind) and stalked over to Merlin, who was humming something and trundling the cart full of waste (dung and used straw) from the stable. He had gotten the order to clean the stables this morning (just because he told Arthur that he was fat, hmph). </p><p>Theodore reached Merlin and started shouting at him again. </p><p>"HEY YOU!"</p><p>Merlin startled, flailed and managed to release the handles of the cart which fell to the ground with a thump and splashed some dung, which also fell on Theodore's shoes.</p><p>"Whaaa… oh sorry, were you talking to me?" His grin got on Theodore's nerves.</p><p>"WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THESE SOHES ARE WORTH? I WILL HAVE YOU CLEANING THEM WITH YOUR TONGUE!"</p><p>Now as we all know, Merlin is Merlin…</p><p>"Are you deaf? Why are you shouting? It's just some dung."</p><p>"JUST SOME DUNG??? HOW DARE YOU??? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???</p><p>"No, though frankly the way you are going, I will have to find out soon enough as you look to be heading to the physician's chamber. Turning that red cannot be good for you."</p><p>"YOU…YOU…YOU…"</p><p>"Are you echoing me now?"</p><p>Leon, who had been ordered to bring Merlin to the Training Field (he was not entirely sure why) arrived at this point. </p><p>"Merlin, what are you doing?"</p><p>"Cleaning the stables... why? The prat ordered something new?"</p><p>Leon laughed and said, "You are needed on the field."<br/>
Merlin started grumbling. </p><p>Theodore who was ignored by Leon started shouting again, "WHO ARE YOU?"</p><p>Leon, in whose face this had been shouted was very miffed. "Why are you asking like that? For that matter, who are you? Merlin, who is he?"</p><p>"No clue, just came and started shouting. Have not even got a reason for being here from him yet."</p><p>"STARTED SHOUTING??? YOU DROPPED A CART OF DUNG ON ME!!!"</p><p>"That happened because you were shouting!!!" Merlin was also getting louder.</p><p>Leon knew that if this was not defused in a few minutes, Arthur would get involved. So he said," Who are you? And why are you here? Before you ask... I am Leon, a Knight of Camelot."</p><p>Theodore instantly calmed, realizing that he would make a fool of himself if he started shouting now. </p><p>"I am so sorry sir, I was just…"</p><p>"Never mind what just happened, what are you in Camelot for?"</p><p>By this time a stable boy had arrived to take the cart away. </p><p>"I am Theodore and I am here to become a knight!", he said proudly. </p><p>Leon was confused, "Did you know there was someone arriving today, Merlin?"</p><p>Now this would be very confusing to the outsiders, as Merlin was just a servant (you wish), but what very few outside of the citadel knew is that Merlin was at present essentially filling in the role of the Queen - that is all decisions for the meals, banquets, guests, rooms, servants, petty disputes etc. came to him since Arthur was busy. He had an assistant in Gwen, but still he was doing all the work a Queen would do. (Subconscious desires anyone?). So Merlin would have to be aware of someone arriving. </p><p>"No", answered Merlin looking very confused. He asked the noble, "Where are you from? Did you send a forward missive?"</p><p>Theodore was going RED again, "How dare you talk to me??? You… A servant! I do not talk to people who should be cleaning my shoes!"</p><p>Seems he forgot about Leon, whose eyebrows were in danger of disappearing altogether. </p><p>Merlin huffed, told Leon, "You deal with him, I will go deal with the prat before he loses his temper." </p><p>Once Merlin had stormed off in a huff, Leon looked over to Theodore mildly and said, "I would suggest you keep your head down for a few days before you learn the lay of the land, most people are aware of this themselves but you seem to need a few reminders."<br/>
Now, you need to note that Leon was all sweaty and dirty as he had been in training most of the morning, so Theodore thought he was a knight low on the totem pole (as if).</p><p>" I do not take orders from some low level noble like you. My Father is an important man and I will become the best knight in the kingdom!" Theodore said importantly. </p><p>Leon, who had learned through long and arduous practice to simply let the fools kill themselves, told him, "On your head be it. Don’t come crying to any of us when the Prince takes umbrage to your behaviour." He walked off and Theodore was left standing there like an idiot.</p><p>No servant would approach him, as he had been shouting at Merlin and no one knew who he was anyway. </p><p>Steamed, Theodore made his way to the training field with his dung spattered shoes. First, by following the direction that both the servant and Leon had gone in and then following the sound of fighting. </p><p>Now, as anyone from Camelot will tell you, Arthur liked to wear normal clothing more than noble clothes as they were easier to practice in and more economical. Most Knights, especially his inner circle, followed this practice. </p><p>So, when Theodore reached the practice field, he saw people dressed in everyday wear fighting with each other. And that servant, the one who threw dung on him, was right there arguing with a blond haired commoner (Theodore is very smart).</p><p>He stormed over to the both of them, pushed the blond aside and started shouting at the servant, "YOU! I WAS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!"</p><p>He did not realise that the field had gone silent and everyone was staring at him. (They were looking at the idiot who just pushed the Prince nearly to the ground and started shouting at Merlin.)</p><p>Before Merlin could answer, Arthur stood up and asked, very annoyed, "AND WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU? Merlin, who is he?" Merlin knew everyone in the Citadel and anyone who was coming to the citadel. But he had not told him of anyone coming... so, who was this guy?</p><p>Theodore, displaying his tact, shouted, "I DO NOT TALK TO COMMONERS LIKE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THIS?"</p><p>Merlin, by now becoming irate said, "I have no clue, he seems to have arrived earlier and started shouting at me. I did not have any notice for anyone coming today so cannot say who this guy is, he is trying to get killed certainly."</p><p>"HOW DARE Y…"</p><p>"HOW DARE I? YOU IDIOT DO YOU REALIZE YOU JUST PUSHED THE PRINCE OF THE REALM ASIDE TO START SHOUTING AT SOMEONE TALKING TO HIM???? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?"<br/>
If you were unable to tell, touching Arthur was something Merlin got angry at.</p><p>Theodore paled so fast he soon resembled the walls of the citadel.<br/>
"I… I… Sir, I… " He stammered.<br/>
"Who Are YOU????" Arthur was getting more irate by the minute.<br/>
"I am Theodore, my father sent me to be a knight."<br/>
"Who?" Arthur asked.<br/>
"The noble who came earlier, who was to send his son for Attitude Correction. Seeing him, I think he desperately needs it." said Merlin. </p><p>Arthur had a glint in his eye, "Ah, yes. So you want to be a knight. One of the first rules is to not speak for a week. You see this is to test your resolve. If you cannot refrain from speaking for a week, how can you devote your life to being a knight?"</p><p>Theodore was shaking, "Yes Sir!"</p><p>"Merlin will show you to your quarters, we will start tomorrow. No speaking for a week starting tomorrow and we will test you tomorrow as well. You will need to fight all the knights to showcase your strength, so sleep well. If you need anything let Merlin know, he will handle it." Arthur dismissed him and turned to Merlin. </p><p>"Give him the quarters you think are appropriate." </p><p>"Should just send him to the dungeons," Merlin muttered. </p><p>Arthur ignored him. "Also I would ask that you set him a servant he cannot easily intimidate as he is very violent."</p><p>"Will do, come on Mr. Theodore, let us go to your quarters."</p><p>Whether they were able to make him less cruel, only time will tell. He could not touch the servants in Camelot, the one assigned to him was secure in the knowledge that Theodore had the hawk eye of both Merlin and Arthur as well as the other knights on him.</p><p>What happened next with Theodore is something that I leave to your imaginations, even though it would be very entertaining for me to explain in detail. It was a traumatic time for the poor lad, to say the least, but it finally taught him to learn the lay of the land before putting his foot in his big mouth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you all are well and staying safe. Take care</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>